Russian court bans Pussy Riot performance video from internet

A Moscow court ruled that video showing punk band Pussy Riot singing inside an Orthodox cathedral while insulting President Vladimir Putin was “extremist” and banned it from the
internet in Russia, a judiciary spokesman said Thursday.

The court found that the video could offend the Christian faithful, as well as contain hidden calls for rebellion and disobedience, the Interfax news agency reported.

In August, three Pussy Riot members – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Ekaterina Samuzevich – were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for their performance and sentenced to two years in prison. Samuzevich later had her sentence
suspended and was released.